How the Relaxation Response Relieves Stress and Physical Anxiety

“Because the fight-or-fight response and the relaxation response are in opposition, one counteracts the effects of the others. This is why we feel the relaxation response is of such importance, for with its regular use it will offset the harmful effects of the inappropriate elicitation of the fight-or-flight response.” – Herbert Benson

Physical anxiety is caused by chronic activation of the threat stress response.

Reducing physical anxiety in the long-term requires us to regularly activate our body's relaxation response. The characteristics of our body's relaxation response are outlined in the table below.

Threat Stress Response

Relaxation Response

Brain waves quicken

Slowed brain waves

Increased blood pressure

Decreased blood pressure

Breathing quickens

Breathing slows

Heart rate increases

Heart rate decreases

Metabolism increases

Reduced metabolism

Digestion slows down

Digestive functioning returns to a normal state

Decreased immune response

Increased immune response

Cortisol and adrenaline levels increase

Hormone levels return to a normal state

Libido reduces

Libido returns to normal state

Blood lactate level increases

Lowered blood lactate levels

Many people feel they're relaxing through activities such as watching TV.

Whilst watching TV can help us switch off, and thus can be an effective cognitive distraction technique (we'd argue it's best suited to times of high-intensity mental anxiety), it doesn't help us reduce physical anxiety in the long-term.

The characteristics of the relaxation response outlined above explain why watching TV cannot be classified as a proper relaxation practice—getting into this state is a skill!

Cultivating our relaxation response skills requires us to try and test different methods and discover what works for us personally.

It may take numerous times of trying a particular activity to notice that it's having the desired effect.